On Sunday, July 20, 2025, Jane McKinney—my mother, friend, teammate, co-author, chair chat buddy, and co-creator of “A Bench and a Tree”—passed peacefully, surrounded by her children in front of her beloved window. She was ninety-eight years old.
Although no longer able to walk long distances, earlier this month she visited the “Jane Tree Corner” on Windmill Island. For one last time, we sat—she in a wheelchair under the Honey Locust and me on the bench dedicated to her and her twin. Her hand on mine, we reflected on the many friends and family members who had sat on this bench with her, reveled in the assortment of summer flowers in bloom, listened to nearby sparrows and red-winged blackbirds, and, of course, savored the Magnolia Jane Tree in front of us.
Before we left, we prayed a poem we recited every morning at chair chat. Mother said the poem flowed from her pen—without pause, without need for revision—a poem written through her, for her, for us.
My Best Friend
By Jane McKinney
When I need someone
to talk to
He listens.
When I share
my closest dreams
He encourages me.
When I admit
my worst faults
He forgives me.
When my heart
is heavy
He lightens it.
When my heart
is light
He blesses it.
He is my
best friend.
He is God.
While Mother may not be physically with me anymore, our commitment to providing shaded benches for seniors in Michigan communities continues. I am in discussion with the director of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Trees Initiative about how we might make our dream, reality. In the meantime, in lieu of flowers for Mother, we are asking people to consider donating to ReLeaf Michigan—an organization dedicated to helping plant, protect and maintain trees in Michigan.
More details about “A Bench and a Tree” will follow this autumn.
Note: A Joy-Filled Celebration of Her Life will be held on Saturday, September 6th, 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Douglas, (100 St. Peters Dr.). A light lunch will be prepared by the St. Peter’s Tender Hearts group after the Mass.
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